The Nugget:
Proverbs 20:9 Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?
My Comment:
This verse always impressed me as a good verse to know by heart. It is another Old Testament reference to an important salvation issue: none of us can make our heart clean, or make ourselves pure from our sin. It used to be that if you would ask a random person what they would tell God if He should ask them the question, “Why should I let you into my heaven?” they would respond “Because my good deeds outnumber by bad deeds,” or, “I’m not as bad as most people I know,” or “I tried to live by the Ten Commandments,” or, “I did my best to love others.” From what the Bible teaches, all of these responses are unsatisfactory. Proverbs 20:9 tells us none of us are good enough to deserve heaven or eternal life no matter how good we try to be.
For those who desire to DIG DEEPER into this subject:
(1) Consult the cross references given in Nelson’s Cross Reference Guide to the Bible on page 674 for Proverbs 20:9.
(2) Consult the cross references given in The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge on page 714 or in Logos 5 Bible software for Proverbs 20:9.
(3) Lacking access to those two resources, consult the cross references for this passage as I have developed them as given below:
Proverbs 20:9. Who. 1 K 8:46. 2 Ch 6:36. Jb 14:4. 15:14-16. *25:4. Ps *51:5, 10. 130:3. 143:2. Ec **7:20. Is 6:5. 53:6. 64:6. Mt 11:28. Lk +*19:10. Ro 3:9-12. 1 C *4:4. 1 T 1:15. Ja 3:2, 8. 1 J **1:8-10. can say. FS108B22. Idiom F/S 828. “Can say” is used of being able really and truly to affirm from the heart. For another instance of this idiom see 1 C **12:3. I am pure. Jb 9:17. 10:7. 11:4. 16:17. 23:10, 11. 27:5. 29:14. 31:1. +*33:9. %**42:3-6. 2 S 12:13. Ezr 9:6. Ne 9:33, 34. Ps 51:1-14. 119:176. Is 6:5, 6. Da 9:8. Lk 5:8. Ro 7:18. 1 T 1:15. 1 J 1:8. clean. Jb 8:6. Ps 24:4. 51:2, 7.
proverbs 20.9 who can say, i have made my heart clean, i am pure from my sin?
good question the lord has a good answer! lk 6.31-32 and jesus answering said unto them,they that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. vs32 i came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance
cross ref from pro 20.9 1. 1 jn 1,8 if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and truth, is not in us.
2.1 ki 8.46 there is no man that sinneth not
3. job 14.4 who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean: not one
4. i ti 1.15 this is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that christ jesus came
into the world to save sinners.